Saudi Arabia tests Cadbury chocolates for pork traces

Saudi Arabian authorities said on Saturday they are testing chocolate bars made by British confectioner Cadbury for traces of pork DNA after two of its products in Malaysia were found to violate Islamic standards. The Saudi Food and Drug Authority said in a statement published on its website that it had taken samples of Cadbury chocolates from the local market to test for contamination. Saudi Arabia, the religion's birthplace, adheres to one of the world's most stringent forms of the faith. The statement said Cadbury products on sale in Saudi Arabia, an ultra conservative Muslim country, were not manufactured in Malaysia, but added that "strong measures" would be taken if the chocolates being tested revealed any traces of pork.

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FDA cancer chief says 'escalating' drug prices can't continue

By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) - By law, Dr. Richard Pazdur, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's cancer drug czar, is not allowed to consider the cost of treatments his agency reviews, only whether they are safe and effective. But Pazdur is not blind to escalating drug prices and the growing debate over how to place an appropriate value on cancer drugs, which can cost $100,000 a year or more a year. "It's very difficult for me to talk about," Pazdur said in an interview at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago, where the issue of value has been a consistent theme among the world's top cancer doctors. She said to me, 'Rick, the price is what anybody is willing to pay for it.'" In his view, the same applies to cancer drugs.



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Owners feature personalized approach to fitness

Fort Dodge MessengerOwners feature personalized approach to fitnessFort Dodge MessengerTheir new enterprise offers a state-of-the-art place to improve one's fitness 24 hours a day. Bickford said both she and Price see The Muscle Factory as an establishment committed to crafting highly individualized workout options for adults of all ages.

Pennsylvania man accused of stealing human skin from hospital

(Reuters) - A Pennsylvania skin-graft salesman is facing charges that he stole $350,000 worth of human skin from a Philadelphia hospital over a period of nearly two years, police said on Friday. Gary Dudek, 54, is accused of stealing sheets of lab-grown skin intended for use in skin-graft surgeries from Mercy Philadelphia Hospital between November 2011 and July 2013, a local police spokeswoman said. The hospital said in a statement that it called the police after an audit revealed "illegal or improper behavior" from a vendor supplying the skin, which is artificially grown in a laboratory out of human skin cells. Eugene Tinari, Dudek's lawyer, said his client had done "nothing that amounts to criminality." He called the charges draconian and said they were better dealt with in a civil rather than criminal case.



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Vienna rides Conchita wave with AIDS charity ball

By Derek Brooks VIENNA (Reuters) - Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst topped the bill at Vienna's Life Ball on Saturday night, outshining guests such as former U.S. President Bill Clinton, actress Lindsay Lohan and designer Vivienne Westwood at Europe's biggest AIDS charity event.

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Watch: Doctor Rushed Into Emergency Surgery Finds Out Patient Is His Mentor

Dr. George Pierson saves the life of his former teacher who was rushed into the ER in critical condition.



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Mickelson plays on amid news of U.S. probe into possible insider trading

(Updates throughout with Mickelson at Memorial Tournament) By Ben Everill DUBLIN, Ohio, May 31 (Reuters) - If golf star Phil Mickelson is concerned by a federal probe into possible insider trading involving him, billionaire investor Carl Icahn and Las Vegas gambler William Walters, he didn't show it on Saturday. As he hit a few practice balls before his round at the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio, Mickelson was in a light-hearted exchange with fellow American golfer Robert Garrigus. "It's been an interesting evening," Mickelson replied, adding with a laugh, "I don't have much to say about it." Garrigus jokingly intimated that talking with Mickelson could get him into trouble, saying he was "not sure I want to talk to you now." On Friday night, a source familiar with the matter said the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating possible insider trading involving Icahn, Mickelson and Walters. I have cooperated with the government in this investigation and will continue to do so." "I wish I could fully discuss this matter, but under the current circumstances it's just not possible," the statement said.



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Warnings on 'gaming' patient waits go back years

WASHINGTON (AP) — The latest report about problems at the VA that led to Secretary Eric Shinseki's resignation is hardly the first independent review that documented long wait times for some patients seeking health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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New drugs may make a dent in lung, ovarian cancer

CHICAGO (AP) — For the first time in a decade, an experimental drug has extended the life of patients with advanced lung cancer who relapsed after standard chemotherapy.



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Drug helps breast cancer patients keep fertility

CHICAGO (AP) — Doctors may have found a way to help young breast cancer patients avoid infertility caused by chemotherapy. Giving a drug to shut down the ovaries temporarily seems to boost the odds they will work after treatment ends, and it might even improve survival, a study found.

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Roche immunotherapy drug shrinks tumors in early bladder cancer study

Roche's experimental drug that spurs the immune system to fight cancer shrank tumors in 43 percent of people with a specific type of metastatic bladder cancer, according to results of an early-stage trial published on Saturday. The drug MPDL3280A is part of a closely-watched class of treatments known as anti-PDL1 therapies, which work by blocking a tumor's ability to evade the immune system's defense. Data from the Phase I trial presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Chicago found MPDL3280A shrank tumors in 13 out of 30 patients who had been previously treated for metastatic urothelial bladder cancer. "It’s exciting to see a potential new treatment for bladder cancer patients who have been waiting a long time for new therapies," said Peter Johnson, chief clinician at Cancer Research UK whose experimental cancer medicine center was used in the trial.

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How Simple Illusions Can Alter Our Perception Of The World Around Us

We're familiar with the mind games and tricks magicians use on a daily basis -- but what if we can take those "hacks" and apply them to our own perceptions? In the Brainwave clip above, sleight-of-hand specialist Apollo Robbins explains that while it's their job as artists to deceive the mind, we can also tap into this wisdom in order to focus on the important imagery around us. This ability to tap into human behavior, Apollo explains, can open up a world of insight. "When you look at all this massive data that comes in from our senses, and it

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32 Things I Know Are True on My 32nd Birthday

I felt so adult in my mid 20s, which I'm grateful for because I'm sure it propelled me to where I am today. But at 32, I can wholeheartedly say I feel much freer and younger in mind, body and spirit.

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The 9 Foods You Should Be Eating For Your Skin This Summer

Memorial Day weekend brought barbecues, picnics and beach parties, which means that despite summer's official start on June 21, the season is already underway for many of us. But before you toss back more hot dogs, chips or beer, think about how it might affect how you look and feel -- and no, we don't mean your waistline. "It's not just the sun that can age your skin," Paula Simpson, a biochemist and holistic nutritionist who specializes in supplement formulation for skin health, told HuffPost. "Diet influences skin at the cellular level, and since skin is our largest organ, it's

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6 Vegan Habits Everyone Should Adopt (Without Giving Up Meat)

By Brianna Steinhilber For meat-lovers, "vegan" may be a dirty five-letter-word -- but we all have to admit that those following a vegan diet tend to have a smart approach to eating, filling their carts with fresh produce and possessing a strong awareness of what they're putting on their plates. While the diet may be too extreme for many, there are some sensible, healthy vegan habits that we all should be copying –- carnivores included. Leave the meat on your plate, but take these six other veg-friendly tips to heart. 1. Pile on the veggies. Since vegans steer clear of

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Obama's boldest move on carbon comes with perils

WASHINGTON (AP) — The new pollution rule the Obama administration announces Monday will be a cornerstone of President Barack Obama's environmental legacy and arguably the most significant U.S. environmental regulation in decades.

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Eli Lilly drug prolongs survival in large lung cancer trial

Eli Lilly and Co's cancer drug ramucirumab modestly extended survival in a large, late-stage study of patients with advanced, nonsmall cell lung cancer who had relapsed following initial treatment, according to data presented on Saturday. In the 1,253-patient trial, those who received ramucirumab and the common chemotherapy drug docetaxel on average lived for 10.5 months compared with 9.1 months for those who got only the chemotherapy. While the difference amounts to only about six weeks, it was deemed by researchers to be statistically significant and clinically meaningful due to the extremely poor survival prognosis for advanced lung cancer that comes back following initial treatment. "This is the first treatment in approximately a decade to improve the outcome of patients" whose cancer has returned, Dr. Maurice Perol, the study's lead investigator and head of thoracic oncology at Cancer Research Center of Lyon in France, said in a statement.



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Two experimental AstraZeneca drugs show promise in ovarian cancer

(Reuters) - A combination of two drugs developed by AstraZeneca Plc, olaparib and cediranib, was shown in a mid-stage study to nearly double the length of time certain ovarian cancer patients lived without their disease getting worse. After spurning a $118 billion takeover approach from Pfizer Inc, Britain's AstraZeneca is aiming to show investors at this weekend's meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago that its pipeline of cancer drugs offers an opportunity for future sales growth. The 90-patient study is the first to look at a drug that blocks a cell repair enzyme known as PARP, olaparib, together with a drug designed to prevent the formation of blood vessels needed by tumors, cediranib, for treating ovarian cancer. Patients in the trial had recurrent cancer that had initially responded to treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy or had cancer related to the BRCA gene.

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Obama makes public health pitch for carbon rules

WASHINGTON (AP) — As governors, businesses and environmentalists brace for new limits on power plant pollution, President Barack Obama is casting his unprecedented effort to curb greenhouse gases as essential to protect the health and wellbeing of children.

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Ahead of power plant push, Obama ties climate change to health hazards

By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama kicked off a campaign to promote new restrictions on U.S. power plant emissions on Saturday by tying the fight against climate change with efforts to promote better health for children and the elderly. In his weekly radio address, Obama said the United States had to do more to reduce carbon emissions so that children suffering from asthma and other related ailments did not face further problems as a result of polluted air. His argument was a preview of the case that his administration will make in the coming weeks after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday unveils new rules limiting carbon dioxide emissions from existing U.S. power plants across the country. Although the rules are intended to help Washington meet international obligations to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming, the White House's focus on human health benefits is part of a sales pitch to drum up support from the American public.

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Vets around the country describe VA experiences

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs became an explosive political story this week, culminating with the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki.

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Cancer doctors urged to consider value when treating patients

By Deena Beasley and Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) - Cancer doctors should consider the financial as well as the medical impact of treatment for patients as healthcare costs continue to grow faster than the overall economy, according to experts in Chicago at the annual meeting of the world's largest organization of oncologists. The American Society of Clinical Oncology is developing a system to rate drugs for advanced cancer based on a combination of benefit, side effects and price. The cost of such drugs can easily run into tens of thousands of dollars a year, even though many have been shown to extend the lives of later-stage cancer patients by just a few months. "The problem is that the current system is unsustainable because it threatens access to high-quality cancer care," said Dr. Neal Meropol, chief of hematology and oncology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland.



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Experts Explain 'Mental Incapacitation' After Reports on Sterling's Mental State

According to Reports, Donald Sterling Was Declared Mentally Incapacitated

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Antidepressant may be hormone alternative for hot flashes

By Kathryn Doyle NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A low dose of antidepressant may be almost as effective as estrogen at reducing the number of hot flashes menopausal women have to endure, according to a new study. Estrogen therapy is still the best way to avert the sudden feelings of overheating, sweating and occasionally palpitations - the most common symptom of menopause - that can strike women from once a day to once an hour, day and night. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved one antidepressant medication, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) paroxetine, for treating hot flashes in 2013. Brisdelle was the first non-hormonal option approved by the FDA for hot flashes.



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Some Call Huggies Diapers Ad in Israel Sexually Suggestive

Parents in Israel are calling a Huggies ad sexually provcative and have called on its creator to take it down. They have even threatened a boycott of the denim diaper ad that features boy-girl toddlers.



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Highlights from AP interview with FDA's Hamburg

WASHINGTON (AP) — Highlights of The Associated Press interview Friday with Margaret Hamburg, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration:



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San Jose pot clubs to offer voters free weed on California primary day

By Laura Rena Murray SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California voters can expect to receive free weed from some pot clubs in the Bay Area city of San Jose for casting ballots in state primary elections next Tuesday that include local races and battles for governor and secretary of state. The city’s cannabis collectives, which have also offered up a voter guide to the races, are offering free marijuana and discounts when members show a ballot stub or an “I Voted” sticker on June 3. “Primary elections tend to have much lower turnout because people don’t even know there’s a vote that day,” said Dave Hodges, a cannabis club owner and member of the Silicon Valley Cannabis Coalition. “We want to help people know when to vote and who to vote for.” The group's voter guide, which focuses mostly on local races and backs Democratic candidates, promotes politicians who director John Lee describes as "friendly to the cannabis movement or at least better than the alternatives." The city of San Jose estimates there are about 80 cannabis clubs operating in the city, and the organizers of the "Weed for Votes" effort said about a dozen of the 40 shops in the collective had already agreed to participate.

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Obama accepts veterans affairs chief resignation with 'regret'

By David Lawder and Mark Felsenthal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned on Friday after a political firestorm over widespread delays in veterans' medical care, leaving President Barack Obama with a freer hand to address systemic problems bedeviling the agency. Obama announced that he accepted Shinseki's resignation "with considerable regret," after the two met on Friday to review initial findings of an internal audit of scheduling abuses at VA facilities across the country. The audit found that patient appointment wait times had been misrepresented at least once at over 60 percent of the 216 VA sites surveyed. It also said, with growing demand for services, a 14-day goal for medical appointments instituted under Shinseki was "simply not attainable" for the VA and should be scrapped.

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San Jose pot clubs to offer voters free weed on California primary day

By Laura Rena Murray SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California voters can expect to receive free weed from some pot clubs in the Bay Area city of San Jose for casting ballots in state primary elections next Tuesday that include local races and battles for governor and secretary of state. The city’s cannabis collectives, which have also offered up a voter guide to the races, are offering free marijuana and discounts when members show a ballot stub or an “I Voted” sticker on June 3. “Primary elections tend to have much lower turnout because people don’t even know there’s a vote that day,” said Dave Hodges, a cannabis club owner and member of the Silicon Valley Cannabis Coalition. “We want to help people know when to vote and who to vote for.” The group's voter guide, which focuses mostly on local races and backs Democratic candidates, promotes politicians who director John Lee describes as "friendly to the cannabis movement or at least better than the alternatives." The city of San Jose estimates there are about 80 cannabis clubs operating in the city, and the organizers of the "Weed for Votes" effort said about a dozen of the 40 shops in the collective had already agreed to participate.



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Making Sense of Senseless Violence

While I haven't commented on every episode of violence, I do feel compelled to observe incidents that occur near or on school grounds and college campuses -- places that should be safe and fun as they help us develop the promise of our youth and those seeking to better their lives and those of others. Instead they've become all too often a setting of tragedy and a reminder of the fragility of life.

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Visine in coffee sickens teacher; student may be charged

A Michigan high school student accused of sickening a teacher by putting Visine eye solution in her coffee could face felony tampering charges, police said on Friday. The student from Fowlerville High School has already been suspended for a full school year because of the alleged incident, said Wayne Roedel, superintendent of the Fowlerville Community Schools. Roedel said the student, who is under 18 and was not being named, was accused of putting Visine in algebra teacher Mary Aldecoa's coffee over several days in mid-May. She became sick and has been unable to return to school, he said. The motive for the tampering was unknown, Roedel said, adding that it was possible the student had seen Visine added to a drink as a practical joke in movies.



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Losing an Incidental Friend

In an increasingly fast and fragmented world, our incidental friends ground us. The metaphor of a tent comes to mind: If our immediate family and close friends provide the framework and the canvas, incidental friends like Mary are the stakes making sure the canvas doesn't blow away. Until those incidental friends depart.

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The Best Thing I Did While Battling Cancer

That evening when we got home, Sean said something that became a game-changer. Instead of worrying about the "what-if's" in life, it became clear to us that we were the decision-makers.

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A Few Things I Would Have Done Differently When I Had Cancer

There are many times during my little skirmish with cancer that I gave in to the physical beating. Friends would call and ask me to do things, and while my heart wanted to say yes, my brain would say "No. I'm too sick."

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Certain kids with diabetes are most at risk for excess weight: study

By Allison Bond MD NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children and teens with type 1 diabetes are already at increased risk for becoming overweight or obese, but certain traits make the odds even higher, according to a new study. Because obesity can compound some of the health problems that go along with diabetes, it’s important to help kids avoid weight gain, researchers say. Elke Frohlich-Reiterer, of Medical University Graz in Austria, and her colleagues analyzed data collected from 250 diabetes centers in Germany and Austria; All the kids were under the age of 20 and had type 1 diabetes, which used to be known as juvenile diabetes because it typically appears during childhood.



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Veterans Department to be led by career banker

WASHINGTON (AP) — After less than four months at the Veterans Affairs Department, Sloan D. Gibson suddenly finds himself in charge of fixing the problems that led to the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki.

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For Web startups with big ambitions, regulation increasingly on the radar

By Alexei Oreskovic RANCHO PALOS VERDES Calif. (Reuters) - Internet startups are starting to see what could come between them and their ambitions: regulators. Now, Web companies developing services in everything from healthcare to transportation are crafting strategies for working with government agencies. That's a marked change from a few years ago, when the mantra was, "Grow first, worry later." “The issues of an Internet company 10 years ago were different because you weren’t affecting the real world,” Travis Kalanick, chief executive officer of car-ride service Uber, told Reuters at the Code technology conference in Southern California this week. “Once you get in the real world, you’ve got a whole other thing you've got to deal with, and that’s where regulations and regulatory bodies and politicians and campaigns and all this stuff come into play." This month, 15 taxi companies in Connecticut sued Uber for skirting state and federal regulations.



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5 Words I Found Myself Using in Weird Ways in Recovery

Words take on certain new meanings when you get sober -- or at least I should say some words. Yes, you learn new ones -- those types of things you're never going to find in the Oxford English Dictionary or outside of recovery circles probably -- like normie, sponsee and step work. But there are also a slew of words you're probably going to learn to use in new ways.

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5 Things Maya Angelou Taught Us About the Power Of Living

There are many things that a life like Maya Angelou's teaches us who are left behind. But I believe her most enduring legacy is that she gave us a perfect formula for resilience. For getting back up again and again no matter what.

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GOP House backs state medical marijuana laws

WASHINGTON (AP) — Libertarian-minded and moderate Republicans joined forces early Friday morning with Democrats in an early morning House vote to block the federal government from interfering with states that permit the use of medical marijuana.



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Siemens CEO tries to calm furore over job cuts

By Noah Barkin and Jens Hack BERLIN/MUNICH (Reuters) - The chief executive of German conglomerate Siemens SIEGn.DE tried to calm a brewing storm over job cuts on Friday after he let slip at an investor conference in New York that his plan to restructure the company could put up to 11,600 staff at risk. Joe Kaeser, who was vaulted into the top job at the Munich-based firm nine months ago, unveiled an overhaul earlier this month that removes layers of management by abolishing a corporate structure, along sectoral and regional lines, that was put in place by his predecessor Peter Loescher. At the investor conference he was pressed to give more details on his goal to save 1 billion euros annually through the restructuring, and responded by attaching specific job numbers to the scheme for the first time. 7,600 people work in sector coordination, coordinating a middle layer that is gone," Kaeser said, according to a podcast of the remarks posted on the Siemens website.

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A nice, bright smile: Scientists use lasers to regrow teeth

And they say their concept - using laser light to entice the body's own stem cells into action - may offer enormous promise beyond just dentistry in the field of regenerative medicine. The researchers used a low-power laser to coax dental stem cells to form dentin, the hard tissue similar to bone that makes up most of a tooth, demonstrating the process in studies involving rats and mice and using human cells in a laboratory. So I think it has potential for great impact in clinical dentistry," researcher Praveen Arany of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, said on Friday. "Our treatment modality does not introduce anything new to the body, and lasers are routinely used in medicine and dentistry, so the barriers to clinical translation are low," added Harvard University bioengineering professor David Mooney.

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Pennsylvania man accused in theft of human skin from hospital

(Reuters) - A Pennsylvania man is facing charges that he stole human skin worth about $350,000 from a Philadelphia hospital over a period of nearly two years, police said. Gary Dudek, 54, is accused of stealing skin intended for use in skin-graft surgeries from Mercy Philadelphia Hospital between November 2011 and July 2013, a Philadelphia police spokeswoman said. The hospital called the police after noticing that skin was missing during an audit, according to Officer Christine O'Brien, a police spokeswoman. She said that Dudek may have had occasion to visit the hospital for his job as a sales director for Organogenesis, a Massachusetts-based biotech firm that engineers tissue for use in grafting out of skin cells.



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When Cancer Isn't Just a Word: Translating Medicine's Native Language

What's in a word is more than just language -- there's assignment of culpability, patient personhood, a world of feeling that is often, and for critical reason, removed from the linguistics of medical speak.

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Shinseki resigns amid vets' health care problems

WASHINGTON (AP) — Beset by growing evidence of patient delays and cover-ups, embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned from President Barack Obama's Cabinet Friday, taking the blame for what he decried as a "lack of integrity" in the sprawling health care system for the nation's military veterans.

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Brains know the difference between carbs and artificial sweeteners

By Will Boggs MD NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Carbs activate brain regions that are not affected by artificial sweeteners, even when they’re only tasted but not swallowed, according to a small new study from New Zealand. “The mouth is a more capable sensory organ than we currently appreciate, able to distinguish carbohydrates from artificial sweeteners when both taste identical,” said Dr. Nicholas Gant from the Sport and Exercise Science department at the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research. A sixth sense in the mouth for carbohydrates could explain why athletes respond immediately to carbs, as well as some aspects of uncontrolled eating disorders, Gant’s team writes in the journal Appetite. Scientists already knew that carbohydrate mouth rinses increased activity in certain brain regions, and some studies have shown that swishing a carbohydrate solution in the mouth and spitting it out improves performance during strenuous exercise.



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FDA to update seafood guidance for pregnant women

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration is putting together new advice for pregnant women on the appropriate levels of mercury in seafood.

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Obama launches public push on power plant rules

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama launched a show of support Friday for new emissions rules for power plants, putting the weight of the White House behind the government's controversial strategy for combating climate change.

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Canada will not fund abortion abroad, issue too divisive, PM says

By Randall Palmer OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada will refrain from funding abortions abroad as it promotes maternal and children's health in poor countries because the issue is too divisive and could undermine a broader push to save lives, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Friday. The Conservative leader has resolutely resisted any attempt to restrict abortions in Canada, where the procedure is legal, but he has acquiesced to demands from within his caucus not to promote abortion in other countries. Speaking at the end of a summit he organized in Toronto on the health of mothers and children, Harper said the world community was mobilized to make rapid progress in reducing mortality rates of mothers and their babies and he did not want to get sidetracked by abortion. "We all know very well how divisive that issue is, not just in Canada - I can assure you it's equally divisive around the world ... We're obviously not going to embark on something that's going to cause widespread division," Harper told reporters.

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How To Make The Perfect First Impression (According To Science)

Can we really judge a book by its cover? When it comes to making snap judgements about others, it turns out, we may be pretty good at doing just that. We've all heard the truism, "You only make one first impression." It's true -- and these impressions may be more powerful than we would imagine. Our brains take in a huge number of verbal and non-verbal cues almost instantaneously when we meet someone (or just look at a photo of them) to calculate powerful impressions that are often as accurate as the impressions we form over longer periods of time.

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Find Your Fitcation Paradise

Instead of getting in killer shape for your vacation, why not do it on vacation? A new breed of getaways is designed to send you home healthier and happier.

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Fit Links: Creative Ways To Use Kale, Body Confidence Tips For Bikini Season And More

There are hundreds of wonderful sites on healthy living to be seen all over the blogosphere. Here at Fit Links, we'll introduce you to some that have caught our eye. Enough with the kale chips and smoothies already -- Well + Good gets creative with these 11 innovative kale recipes. We've said it before and we'll say it again: Every body is a bikini body. That said, it's not always easy to rock a two piece with confidence. Give yourself a boost with these tips from Fit Bottomed Girls for loving the summer skin you're in. If you're ready for

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7 Reasons Rejection Actually Rules!

The problem with rejection is not the rejection itself, just the fact we cannot understand the greater plan behind it in that moment. Nor do we want to as we are too busy licking our wounds and cursing the world. Rejection only makes sense with hindsight.

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4 Body Postures For A Better Brain

By Bahar Gholipour, Staff Writer Published: 05/27/2014 10:24 AM EDT on LiveScience The brain largely controls the body, but the body can also influence the brain, by the feedback it sends up the nervous system. In fact, the body and mind work together to create our perceptions of the world. Researchers have looked at how the brain interprets the signals coming into it from the rest of the body. Here are some of the ways you can use your body to improve your mind. Smiling can bring feelings of calm and happiness Smiling for no reason may trick the brain

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Proof Your New Mattress Doesn't Have To Cost An Arm And A Leg

Dreading the toll on your bank account when you shell out for that new mattress you know you need? Consider this: The average unit price of a mattress in 2013 was just $286.29. That's up 3.1 percent from 2012, according to the International Sleep Products Association (ISPA), a trade organization that releases an annual report on the mattress industry, but still relatively low, considering the price tags in the tens of thousands of beds with all sorts of high-tech bells and whistles available today. ...

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This Worry-Free Guide Will Have You In A Good Mood In No Time

The stress and strain of constantly being connected can sometimes take your life -- and your well-being -- off course. GPS For The Soul can help you find your way back to balance. GPS Guides are our way of showing you what has relieved others' stress in the hopes that you will be able to identify solutions that work for you. We all have de-stressing "secret weapons" that we pull out in times of tension or anxiety, whether they be photos that relax us or make us smile, songs that bring us back to our heart, quotes or poems that

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France, land of Gauloises, eyes 'no-brand' cigarettes

France is considering a move to brandless packets to curb smoking, instituting one of the world's toughest anti-tobacco policies in the home of chain-smoking singer Serge Gainsbourg and no-filter Gauloises cigarettes. Health Minister Marisol Touraine is due to present a law next month that would stop cigarette manufacturers from printing their distinctive logos on packages, Le Figaro newspaper reported on Friday. Australia pioneered plain packaging for cigarettes in 2012 and Britain, New Zealand and Ireland all plan similar bans. In a statement, France's Health Ministry said it was studying several options to curb smoking.



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5 Ways to Use Chia Seeds

You've heard that chia is amazingly healthy, but how can you use it? Health's food director shares her favorite ways.



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New Delhi seeks report on grisly rape, hanging of teens

By Sharat Pradhan LUCKNOW India (Reuters) - India's new home minister weighed in on Friday in a grisly case in which two teenage girls were raped and hanged from a tree this week, as public anger and political controversy over the attack gain momentum. The case is one of the first challenges for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his four-day-old government. It highlights the ongoing struggle to stem sexual violence in India, where a string of high-profile rapes has sparked nationwide protests and international criticism. Modi, a prolific Twitter user, has not yet commented on the killings in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state and a key political battleground.

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From gang member to fitness guru

BBC NewsFrom gang member to fitness guruBBC NewsAfter finding the church and exercise as a way out of his dark times, he founded the urban fitness movement Block Workout - and now seeks to help other young people with their own troubles. The gruelling two hour sessions, run every weekend at a park ...

India's Zydus Cadila recalls over 10,000 bottles of allergy drug in U.S

Indian drugmaker Zydus Cadila is recalling 10,200 bottles of an allergy-relief drug in the United States after another drug for high blood pressure was found in one of the bottles, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday. The recall was voluntarily started by the company's U.S. unit, Zydus Pharmaceuticals USA Inc, on May 8, due to the presence of the high blood pressure medicine atenolol in a bottle containing the allergy drug, promethazine hydrochloride. Promethazine hydrochloride is commonly used to treat allergic disorders, nausea, vomiting and difficulty sleeping, as well as for pre-operative sedation.



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Siemens says 11,600 jobs affected by restructuring

German conglomerate Siemens confirmed on Friday that some 11,600 jobs would be affected by a restructuring unveiled by Chief Executive Joe Kaeser earlier this month, but said not all of these positions would necessarily be cut. In an emailed statement, a Siemens spokesman acknowledged that Kaeser had made clear at a conference in New York on Thursday that the end of the company's sector-based structure would affect 7,600 jobs worldwide. "For now, Mr Kaeser has only said how many positions are affected by the organizational restructuring," the email from spokesman Alexander Becker said. "But removing jobs in one area does not necessarily have to mean job cuts." (Reporting by Noah Barkin and Jens Hack;

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GOP House backs state medical marijuana laws

WASHINGTON (AP) — The GOP-controlled House voted early Friday in favor of blocking the federal government from interfering with states that permit the use of medical marijuana.



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E-cigarettes could sweeten potential Reynolds-Lorillard deal

By Jilian Mincer NEW YORK (Reuters) - When Lorillard Inc bought the blu eCigs brand two years ago, the electronic cigarette had a 10 percent share of a tiny U.S. market, generating about $50 million in sales. The turbo-charged growth means that blu and Lorillard's British SKYCIG e-cigarette brand may be the assets with the sweetest potential for Reynolds American Inc as it holds talks over a deal to acquire its U.S. rival. "Acquisition of Lorillard would give Reynolds a distinct advantage in the e-cig market," said Steve Marascia, Director of Research at Capitol Securities Management. A combination of Lorillard and Reynolds, which is 42 percent owned by British American Tobacco, would create a formidable rival to Altria Group Inc, which owns the Marlboro brand and controls about 50 percent of the traditional cigarette market in the U.S. E-cigarettes are slim, reusable, metal tube devices containing nicotine-laced liquids that come in exotic flavors.

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Complaint accuses 4 Fla insurers of discrimination

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Two health organizations filed a complaint with federal health officials Thursday alleging some Florida insurance companies are violating the Affordable Care Act by structuring their insurance plans in a way that discourage consumers with HIV and AIDS from choosing those plans.



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California rampage shows gaps in mental health law

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Elliot Rodger's murderous rampage near Santa Barbara has tragically exposed the limitations of involuntary-commitment laws that allow authorities to temporarily confine people who are deemed a danger to themselves or others.

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Who Is Really Behind the Assault on School Nutrition Standards?

Why won't SNA leaders and House Republicans stand up for our children's health instead of trying to dismantle nutrition standards that are improving their lives?

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Eat for Abs

Overnight oat recipes have become very popular trends in the health community. They require minimal preparation and are a readily available option for those with busy morning schedules. To prepare it is easy.

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Why You're Still Fat

One evening several years ago I gave up alcohol on a whim. I'd never been much of a drinker, and I was sipping at a margarita at a wedding reception when it hit me: "This feels unnecessary." I didn't like the taste of alcohol, and it never made me feel better -- only worse. So I quit.

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Shaking Shakespeare: Richard III was no hunchback after all

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - William Shakespeare excoriated Richard III, the last king of England to die in battle more than 500 years ago, with vibrant verbiage: a "foul bunch-back'd toad," "deformed, unfinish'd" and a hunchback so ugly that dogs barked as he passed by. Their comprehensive analysis of the king's remains, including a 3-D reconstruction of his spine, confirmed that Richard was not really a hunchback but instead suffered from scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine. Scientists spotted the spinal abnormality that looked like scoliosis when Richard's skeleton - replete with a cleaved skull - was dug up in the English city of Leicester in 2012 in one of the most important archaeological finds in recent English history.

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Why Connecting With Yourself Matters

On a wintry New England day, I walked into a yoga studio in Stamford, Connecticut. I was part of a special meditation session led by Bhante Wimala, a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk. The studio smelled of incense and was well lit and intimate; it could hold no more than two dozen people. Bhante was sitting with his legs crossed in the lotus position and perched slightly above us on an elevated seating area. Walking in, it felt like I was in the presence of Siddhartha Gautama--the Buddha--himself. All walks of life--fathers, mothers, yogis, businesspeople--were in attendance. The Dalai Lama has

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California lawmakers advance bill to mandate paid sick leave

By Jennifer Chaussee SACRAMENTO Calif. (Reuters) - California businesses would have to offer paid sick leave to employees under a bill approved by the state Assembly on Thursday, and if the measure becomes law California would join Connecticut as the only U.S. states with such a mandate. The measure, authored by Democratic Assembly member Lorena Gonzalez, requires all employers to offer one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. It would allow employers to limit the number of sick days a worker can take to three days. Worker rights groups and others are campaigning for an expansion of paid sick leave rights in the private sector.



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Judge: Abortion doctor must research privileges

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A federal judge told a Milwaukee abortion doctor Thursday to renew his efforts to obtain hospital admitting privileges, hinting that it could resolve a lawsuit alleging a Wisconsin law requiring such privileges is unconstitutional.

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Sex and drugs worth 10 billion pounds to UK economy, statisticians say

By David Milliken LONDON (Reuters) - They already know what rock'n'roll is worth, so now Britain's statisticians are getting to grips with sex and drugs in a bid to give a broader view of the size of the economy. The fruit of their research is that sales of illegal drugs and sexual services add around 10 billion pounds ($16.7 billion) to Britain's economic activity each year, making up just under 1 percent of total economic output. Britain's Office for National Statistics published the figures on Thursday alongside a detailed account of its methods, as it prepares to move Britain's public accounts to a new European Union model in September. The changes cover far more than black-market activities, and in total are likely to add around 4 to 5 percent to the level of gross domestic product as new businesses are added to the economy and the contribution of old ones reviewed, the ONS said.

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Smart WCup teams tap science to beat Brazil's heat

PARIS (AP) — European teams say they are more prepared than ever for a hot and humid World Cup, training in saunas, planning to soak their jerseys in cold water before games and working with doctors to design the perfect hydration formula for each player.

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Man Diagnoses His Diabetes on Internet, But Don't Try This at Home

Smart Internet Search Saves College Student's Life

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North Carolina lawmakers adopt tax on electronic cigarettes

By Marti Maguire RALEIGH N.C. (Reuters) - North Carolina, the top U.S. tobacco-producing state, will levy a modest tax on increasingly popular electronic cigarettes as part of legislation adopted by state lawmakers and signed by the governor on Thursday. The tax was cleared by the state Senate and House in bipartisan votes earlier on Thursday. Several states have considered taxing them at a rate much higher than 5 cents, on a level that is similar to traditional cigarettes. Large tobacco companies including Reynolds American Inc, which is based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, supported the 5-cent tax as they seek to replace the declining market for traditional cigarettes.

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Republicans attack Obama over veterans scandal

By Susan Cornwell and David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans stepped up their attacks on the Obama administration over a deepening Veterans Affairs healthcare delay scandal on Thursday, but House Speaker John Boehner again declined to join a growing list of lawmakers calling for VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign. Boehner told reporters he was still not convinced that Shinseki's ouster would solve the VA's problems. Instead, he sought to keep the pressure on President Barack Obama for VA scheduling abuses that covered up monthslong delays for veterans' medical care appointments. "I'm going to continue to reserve judgment on General Shinseki," Boehner said.

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North Carolina lawmakers adopt tax on electronic cigarettes

By Marti Maguire RALEIGH N.C. (Reuters) - North Carolina, the top U.S. tobacco-producing state, will levy a modest tax on increasingly popular electronic cigarettes as part of legislation adopted by state lawmakers and signed by the governor on Thursday. The tax was cleared by the state Senate and House in bipartisan votes earlier on Thursday. Several states have considered taxing them at a rate much higher than 5 cents, on a level that is similar to traditional cigarettes. Large tobacco companies including Reynolds American Inc, which is based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, supported the 5-cent tax as they seek to replace the declining market for traditional cigarettes.

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Judge tells abortion doctor to try for privileges

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A federal judge wants a Milwaukee abortion provider to renew efforts to obtain hospital admitting privileges as a possible resolution to a lawsuit alleging that a Wisconsin law requiring providers get such privileges is unconstitutional.

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Support falters as Shinseki fights for his job

WASHINGTON (AP) — Support for embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki eroded quickly Thursday, especially among congressional Democrats facing tough re-election campaigns, even as Shinseki continued to fight for his job amid allegations of delayed medical care and misconduct at VA facilities nationwide.

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7 Things Mindful People Do Differently Everyday and How to Begin Now!

I have friends who I never would have imagined practicing mindfulness who now sit in daily meditation. When I look at the Seattle Seahawks, think of our Army Vets or politicians sitting in the "Quiet Caucus" room, I'm filled with a whole lot of hope.

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Officials: Measles tally doubled in the past month

NEW YORK (AP) — Measles cases are accelerating, and in the last five months have caused more U.S. illnesses than in any entire year since 1996.

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Novartis must face U.S. government lawsuit alleging drug kickbacks

By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday refused to dismiss a U.S. government lawsuit accusing Novartis AG of civil fraud for having conducted two illegal kickback schemes to boost sales of drugs covered by Medicare and Medicaid. U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon in Manhattan rejected the argument by the Swiss drugmaker's Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp unit that the lawsuit should be dismissed because the government had failed to show how it had been defrauded. McMahon, however, invited Novartis by June 13 to seek dismissal on a different ground, that the claims were legally inadequate, saying she needed to more fully review that issue. The government accused Novartis of having from 2005 to 2013 induced at least 20 pharmacies to switch thousands of kidney transplant patients to its immunosuppressant drug Myfortic by providing kickbacks, in the form of discounts and rebates.

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Rapid7 hires Jay Radcliffe, diabetic who hacked his insulin pump

Cybersecurity firm Rapid7 said on Thursday that it has hired Jay Radcliffe, a diabetic researcher who is known for pioneering work in the field of medical security, including work hacking his own insulin pump. Radcliffe gained prominence in 2011 when he demonstrated a technique at the Def Con hacking conference in Las Vegas for attacking the same Medtronic Inc insulin pump that he uses to deliver insulin to his body. Medtronic later that year hired security consultants to review the safety of its insulin pumps after a second research team found more vulnerabilities in the devices, which they said were also potentially lethal. Radcliffe most recently worked as a senior security analyst at InGuardians Inc. Prior to that, he spent more than a decade holding various posts at Internet Security Systems, which IBM bought in 2006.



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Antidepressant may be hormone alternative for hot flashes

By Kathryn Doyle NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A low dose of antidepressant may be almost as effective as estrogen at reducing the number of hot flashes menopausal women have to endure, according to a new study. Estrogen therapy is still the best way to avert the sudden feelings of overheating, sweating and occasionally palpitations - the most common symptom of menopause - that can strike women from once a day to once an hour, day and night. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved one antidepressant medication, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) paroxetine, brand name Brisdelle, for treating hot flashes in 2013. Antidepressants are often used off-label to treat hot flashes, Dr. Hadine Joffe of the department of Psychiatry at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston told Reuters Health.



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Factbox: Killer pig virus limits U.S. hog exports

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Russia said on Thursday that it was suspending hog imports from the United States due to concerns about outbreaks of a virus killing baby piglets. [ID:nL6N0OF44M] China and Japan also have restricted imports of live U.S. hogs over Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv), a highly contagious disease that has wiped out 10 percent of the U.S. hog population since it was first identified in the country a year ago. ...



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GSK invites private equity to bid for older drugs: sources

By Ben Hirschler and Freya Berry LONDON (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline has invited private equity firms to consider making offers for a range of its older drugs sold in Western markets, according to three people with direct knowledge of the matter. Chief Executive Andrew Witty said last month that Britain's biggest pharmaceuticals company could dispose of individual medicines or a broader portfolio of older established products. Private equity firms approached by GSK include Advent International, Blackstone and KKR , the sources said, and the drugmaker is being advised by Lazard . Officials at Lazard and the three private equity firms declined to comment.

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Missouri should fund state drug lab to make lethal injections: AG

Missouri should fund and operate its own drug laboratory to mix lethal injections for executions, a move that could help circumvent the problems it and other states are having obtaining the drugs they need, the state's top prosecutor said on Thursday. Setting up a state laboratory would take compounding pharmacies out of the system, and eliminate the secrecy about where lethal injections drugs are coming from, said Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster. "As a matter of policy, Missouri should not be reliant on merchants whose identities must be shielded from public view or who can exercise unacceptable leverage over this profound state act," Koster said in a speech to Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis conference. Missouri is one of several states wrestling with how to proceed with executions amid a shortage of the drugs traditionally used.



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Obama says sports concussions need more attention

WASHINGTON (AP) — Saying he wants kids to play sports but play safely, President Barack Obama called Thursday for more and better research into the effects and treatment of concussions in youth athletes. The issue is one of growing concern for parents who spend weekends driving their kids from one game to another.

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On Fighting for Your Healthy Self

A person's "realness" does not necessarily increase with his or her number of curves, and similarly their power and worth do not increase with degree of thinness. Realness comes from being comfortable in one's own skin and creating a life worth living.

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